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2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

P. M. BARBER. UAR FOR TRANSPORTING FRUIT.

Patented May 21 1889.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.,

Patented May 21 '1889.

F. M. BARBER. GAR FOR TRANSPORTING FRUIT.

FIG ll (No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

FRANCIS M. BARBER, OF \VASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

CAR FOR TRANSPORTING FRUIT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 403,724, dated May 21,1889.

'7 Application filed March 2, 1889. Serial No. 301,768. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS M. BARBER, of WVashington, in the Districtof Columbia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cars forTransporting Fruit, which improvement is fully set forth in thefollowing specification.

This invention has reference to the construction of devices orarrangements in a freight-car for packing and transporting fruit andother articles of a perishable nature; or the same arrangements ordevices may be employed in other than land-vehicles and be utilized forother purposes.

In Letters Patent No. 395,648, granted to me January 1, 1889, I havedescribed and claimed a series of ventilated lockers or compartmentsseparated by partitions composed of wire-mesh or similar reticulatedmaterial, for use particularly on shipboard for holding clothes,provisions, or other articles. Such series of receptacles or lockers isapplicable to many uses; and the object of the present invention is soto improve or modify the con struction of the devices shown in saidpatent as to adapt the same more perfectly to such uses as transportingfruit in bulk in land-vehicles.

As described in my aforesaid patent, each compartment of the series wasadapted and designed to be used as a closet having its separate door,and the parts, moreover, were intended to be permanen tly fastenedtogether.

For the purposes of the present invention it is obviously desirable thatthe devices be so contrived as to admit of the compartments being filledfrom the top, and also of their being built up in any number of rows onein front of the other. It is also desirable that the elements composingthe ventilated storing-receptacles should be readily put up and takendown, and should be capable of folding up, so as to be packed away insmall compass for return to the place of loading.

The present practice of shipping fruit and like perishable objects ofsmall size is either to pack them in perforated or open-work crates orboxes in special cars or to pack them in bulk in ordinary cars. Theformer method is objected to because the expense attending it is notwarranted by the advantages gained, 011 which account much of thetransportation is now being effected by shipping in bulk. There is,however, a limit to which articlessuch as orangescan be piled up oneupon another. Consequently it is impossible to carry anything like afull car-load by this method. Moreover, it is an undoubted fact that thethorough ventilation of the fruit in transit is a most important factorin preserving it in good condition.

By the present invention the fruit or other articles can beexpeditiously packed in the cars for receiving them, are well protected,and thoroughly ventilated. The perforated partitions by which the carsare subdivided can be folded up into a compact form and the use of carsof special construction is avoided, the invention being applicable tofreight-cars of any ordinary construction.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this invention,Figure I is a partial View in side elevation of a freight-car having theinvention. applied thereto, the side or wall of the car being removed.Fig. II is a vertical cross-section of a car. Fig. III shows inperspective one of the elements of which the structure is composed, andFig. IV shows in detail one of the notched brackets.

A represents the side walls, and B the roof, of a freight-car of anyordinary construction.

0 represents a series of horizontal bars, which are set in notchedbrackets D, (shown in detail in Fig. IV,) permanently fastened to thesides of the car. Any other suitable mode of rcmovably supporting thehorizontal bars C may be adopted, and in some cases the latter may bedispensed with altogether.

E represents a series of uprights, which are attached at their upperends to bars C by pins 0, or in any other convenient way, and at theirlower ends supported in shoes or steps cl, so that said uprights can bequickly taken down and set up. Uprights E are provided on both sideswith a series of projections or hooks, c, for the support of partitions,by which the car is to be subdivided.

One of the elements of which the compartments are built up is shown inFig.1II. It is composed of a horizontal panel, F, a vertical panel, G,and partitions H, all made of reticulated material, such as wire mesh.

Partitions H are hinged or connected with the horizontal panel F byhooks or staples f, so that they can be folded down fiat upon the same.The panels are composed of rectangular iron frames g, upon which thewire mesh is stretched, and said panels are hinged together by staplesh, so that the entire element can be folded together and occupy butlittle space. There are many simple and convenient ways of fastening theseveral parts together, any of which may be adopted. The intermediatepart or division of panel G, which would constitute the front of themiddle compartment, is provided with a door, G, hinged at i, so that itslower end can swing outward. Each compartment can have one side movableindependently of the others; but it is sufficient to have the middle oneof each row so constructed. Any clamp or fastening device of a simplecharacter may be used to hold the parts of panel G and the partitions Hin their proper positions. As shown, the frames of these parts have atthe corners Where they come together small pins or studs, over which isslipped a ring or sleeve, it. The elements are preferably made, as shownin the drawings, of such length as to extend from side to side of thecar.

The method of loading a car provided with this invention is as follows:The first tier of elements, folded flat, is placed on ledges Z and leansagainst the end of the car. The cross-piece G and uprights D nearest theend of the car are set up. One of the elements is then let down andopened, so that its bottom panel, F, rests at its front edge on thelowest row of hooks c on uprights E, and at the rear edge on theprojection or ledges Z, attached to the end of the car, as shown in Fig.I. The vertical panel G thus forms the front and the horizontal panel Fthe bottom of the first series of compartments, which are separated fromeach other by the partition H. The entire series is closed at all sidesexcept the top, and can easily be filled with the articles to becarried. The next element is then let down above the first, its bottomforming the top of the first series of compartments, and so on until thefirst vertical tier is built up. Another set of elements and of uprightsis then put in place, and the loading proceeds as before until theentire space is filled, or so much thereof as may be desired, leavingroom for entrance of hands to unload. Fig. I shows the last elementsthat have been put in place in the position they occupy before they arelet down and opened.

1n unloading the operation proceeds in reverse order, as will be readilyunderstood. The necessity of unloading from the top of the compartmentsis avoided by having the front G of the middle compartmentof each seriesindependently hinged. As shown, the

middle division, G, of each panel can be swung out from the bottombetween the uprights E. lVhen G is thus opened down,the contents of themiddle compartment are accessible for removal, and when it is empty thepartitions H can be folded down and the articles therein will fall inpart into the middle compartment and can be readily removed. When theunloading iscomplete, the several elements are folded up and stowedaway, 00- cupying but little space, and the car on its return-trip maybe used for the transportation of ordinary freight.

I have shown and described herein the best mode in which I havecontemplated applying the principle of my invention; but it will readilybe understood that modifications may be made in the plan describedwithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

The collapsible elements may be differently formed and jointed togetherand differently supported, these being matters of convenience andsusceptible of infinite variation without affecting the essentialobject, which is to produce a series of ventilated compartmentsseparated by partitions of reticulated mate-- rial easily built up asthe loading progresses and quickly taken apart and stowed away.

The compartments may be of any convenient size and shape, and thewire-net or other reticulated material used may have a mesh of anysuitable size.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. As ameans for transporting and packing fruit and for other purposes, aseries of compartments separated from each other by partitions ofreticulated material and built up of collapsible elements, substantiallyas described.

2. A vehicle for transporting fruit and for similar purposes, having itscarrying-space subdivided by partitions of reticulated material, saidpartitions being removably supported in said vehicle, substantially asdescribed.

3. A series of open work compartments built up of elements composed ofpanels of reticulated material hinged together',substantially asdescribed.

4, In a freightecar or other vehicle, the combination, with the elementsor partitions adapted to form a series of ventilated compartments, ofthe supports comprising removable uprights and constituting a skeletonor frame-work by which the elements or partitions are removablysupported, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with supports, of elements forming a series ofventilated compartments, said elements being composed each of a verticaland a horizontal panel and partitions, said parts being all made ofreticulated material and hinged together, substantially as described.

6. In a car or other vehicle, the combination, with removable supports,of removable and collapsible elements composed of reticulated material,and forming when in place a series of storage-compartmen ts separatedfrom each other by perforated partitions, so that the entire series isventilated, substantially In testimony whereof I have signed this asdescribed. specification in the presence of two subscrib- 7. Thecombination, with supports, of eleing' Witnesses. ments composed ofpanels of reticulated ma- FRANCIS M. BARBER. 5 terial, said panelshaving a portion or por- \Vitnesses:

tions hinged independently of the others, sub- PHILIP MAURO,

stantially as described. J. M. \VILsON.

